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A friend of mine told me that I suck at online dating, and decided to take matters into her own hands. While I would argue that online dating is the thing that sucks, she wasn’t exactly wrong. I wasn’t getting anywhere, regardless of where the fault lies. So, she is setting me up on a blind date. (You can hear all about it here.)

She’s quite lucky that I find her trustworthy, as she provided next to no details regarding this mystery suitor before setting up the date. Since this probably wouldn’t fly with many others, I decided it best to list out some ground rules if you want to set up a friend on a blind date.

Have a describable reason why you think the pair would make a good match, and tell them what that is. (Or if the reason is just that both parties are single, at least disclose that so there isn’t as much undue pressure.)

Be forthcoming with information. Committing to a dinner with a complete stranger is intimidating. Give both parties some basic information about the other (i.e. job, interests, etc.) so that they have somewhere to start in a conversation.

Give them an easy way to identify one another. In this instance, my friend suggested that I wear a croissant. (She meant corsage, but said croissant.) I plan on doing just that and let my blind date know via text. He said he would wear an English muffin. (This may actually work out.)

If either party seems uncomfortable with the blind date scenario, offer to double date! Let them set you up, or bring a date of your own. Dating can be a little more comfortable in groups, especially if both parties know someone else in attendance.

Don’t show up at the restaurant to spy on the date. (I have a gut feeling this may happen.)

Let the date attendees reach out to you when they are ready to tell you how it went. Basically: Set it up, and then forget about it until your friends reach out.

You’re not allowed to be offended, or push for a second date, if either party decides they are not interested (before OR after the date.) People who have been attached for a long time forget the bad memories of their dating life, and tend to only remember the fun of it.

Have you been on a blind date before? How did it go? What rules should I add to my list? I’d love to hear your stories and ideas in the comments!

I have tried online dating for about 9 months.
It is a total mess.
One man had pictures of himself, good looking, healthy and in shape, then after talking to him for a week here comes the real picture, 75 lbs over weight, cooking french fries in a deep fryer, everything on his profile was not true.
I once went out with a man who was so damaged from a 39 years marriage that he wasn’t even sure who he was.
Alot of fake profiles wanting you to jump on Hangouts then the scam begins.
Dating sight are not good. Nor are they screened.